This invention relates to a ceramic sanitary fixture, in particular a toilet bowl.
At present, a traditional ceramic sanitary fixture, that is to say, a toilet bowl formed by pressure casting a suspension known as “slip” in the jargon of the trade, comprises two parts associated with each other: a first bottom part comprising a pan and a drain siphon (that is, the inner parts of the bowl) and a second top part or “rim”.
The first part, consisting of the pan and siphon assembly, is the functional part of the bowl and must have dimensional characteristics such as to allow the collection pan and flushing system of the bowl to work correctly.
The rim has a portion that is usually, but not necessarily, ellipsoidal in shape, forming the upper edge of the pan and a rear extension, parallel to the siphon and having a hole for the passage of the flushing water.
This part can be made in two ways known in the jargon of the trade as “open rim” and “closed rim”.
In an open rim, the section of the ellipsoidal portion is in the shape of an upturned U with the bottom surface open to allow the passage of the flushing water.
In a closed rim, on the other hand, the section of the ellipsoidal portion has a closed toroidal shape, where the wall facing the pan has a plurality of holes made in it through which the flushing water can pass.
Usually, at least if production is based on high pressure slip casting, the rim (particularly in the case of a rim of the closed type) and the pan and siphon assembly are made separately and the two parts are then attached to each other by bonding the rim to the pan and siphon assembly.
This operation is done while the parts are in the “green” state, that is, while they still have a high water content, so that after being bonded together, the assembled parts can be finished (even using robot units) by smoothing their surfaces to give the finished bowl a good appearance.
In the current market, there is an ever increasing demand for toilet bowl designs where the pan and siphon assemblies are totally enclosed in casings that come in many different styles, shapes and sizes.
To be able to make bowls of this kind, the moulds must have very large and complex liquid casting areas, thus increasing costs and creating considerable technological complications.
As a matter of fact, moulds for liquid casting allow sanitary fixtures to be designed in a wide variety of forms with the maximum aesthetic freedom and with different dimensional ratios requiring high-volume casting cavities. The mould cavity is not simply divided into male and female parts (as are moulds used in solid casting) and, instead, the walls of the product are formed by a single surface within the mould.
In other words, therefore, the demand for different bowl styles reduces the level of standardization of the constructional components, necessitating not only different mould types but also different manufacturing processes, easily increasing the cost of the finished products.